Wonder what will happen to NetFlix for web. Fallback to Flash I'm guessing...
Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
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Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#12Until a year or two ago there was a stalemate as far as "rich web" development technologies goes. Neither flash, Silverlight or HTML5 was the clear winner. I remember people being incredulous that the iPad didn't support Flash, saying that while it might be ok for the iPhone to not support it, nobody would take the iPad seriously if it didn't support Flash.
In a way, I think it might be the combined weight of the iPhone and iPad that's broken the stalemate in HTML5's favour. Apple sold so many of them, that website makers had to take notice.
When Microsoft announced that Windows 8 metro mode (which may well be the only mode available for low power Win8 tablets) would not support Silverlight, I think the game was well and truly up.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#13Microsoft's IE9 product lead, said - without even saying that it was confidential or not to repeat - 'Silverlight is dead, I give it six months tops' at OnGameStart a couple of months ago. I believe him.
Just the web plugin. No evidence of it going away on WP7 or Windows 8.
That isn't what I've heard (from people still at Microsoft). Everything points to Silverlight and WPF being frozen because the teams are pretty much broken up at this point.
Also, this is pretty clear as well:
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#14If I were them, I would re-focus it as a LOB app platform. That's where it really shines.
As for WPF, it serves no purpose whatsoever.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#15I "get" it when it comes to silverlight for public facing websites. Really. I do. The general populace doesn't want to have to install a plugin. But what about intranet apps? Silverlight is so incredibly easy to work with (compared to html/css/js) that there are lots of companies that have built intranet apps with it because they control the end point.
I really hope this isn't true.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#16Until a year or two ago there was a stalemate as far as "rich web" development technologies goes. Neither flash, Silverlight or HTML5 was the clear winner. I remember people being incredulous that the iPad didn't support Flash, saying that while it might be ok for the iPhone to not support it, nobody would take the iPad seriously if it didn't support Flash. In a way, I think it might be the combined weight of the iPh…
It doesn't help that Flash was deficient in a variety of ways. I think this was Adobe's fight to lose.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#17I'm curious what Netflix has in the works to move off of Silverlight. I remember reading that their biggest problem with HTML5 players was the lack of good DRM options to please the studios.
Someone needs to explain to the studios about how computers are really great at copying stuff, which means DRM only ever has to be broken once by one person, and it doesn't matter if it's Netflix or Blu-ray or HBO.
The only thing Netflix needs to do is make it inconvenient to rip the stream, i.e. more difficult than downloading the same thing as a torrent. Anything more is pointless.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just the web plugin. No evidence of it going away on WP7 or Windows 8.
That isn't what I've heard (from people still at Microsoft). Everything points to Silverlight and WPF being frozen because the teams are pretty much broken up at this point. Also, this is pretty clear as well: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17254070
The branding might be going away, just like the Zune brand, but the core technologies are already part of the Windows 8 SDK.
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#19I "get" it when it comes to silverlight for public facing websites. Really. I do. The general populace doesn't want to have to install a plugin. But what about intranet apps? Silverlight is so incredibly easy to work with (compared to html/css/js) that there are lots of companies that have built intranet apps with it because they control the end point. I really hope this isn't true.
> But what about intranet apps?
Remember when IE6 was so incredibly easy to work with? Remember how much effort has been dedicated to port those internal "web applications" that worked on one specific browser?
Re: Microsoft may halt development work on Silverlight plugin after next release
#20I'm curious what Netflix has in the works to move off of Silverlight. I remember reading that their biggest problem with HTML5 players was the lack of good DRM options to please the studios.
Someone needs to explain to the studios about how computers are really great at copying stuff, which means DRM only ever has to be broken once by one person, and it doesn't matter if it's Netflix or Blu-ray or HBO. The only thing Netflix needs to do is make it inconvenient to rip the stream, i.e. more difficult than downloading the same thing as a torrent. Anything more is pointless.
No, Netflix has to prove that they aren't the point of failure. Which means DRM is a requirement. Content owners demand it.